Bill Nye brought
his humorous
take on science
and math and
how important
they are to society
to Texas Hall
on March 23.

Bill Nye considers it his mission to convince others that
science and math are not staid and stodgy fields.
Nye, known as "The Science Guy" to a generation of
kids who grew up watching his popular TV show, uses humor
to make his point. He utilizes his engaging and energetic
demeanor to insist that science and math are critical to
solving almost all of the world's problems, from global
warming to the rapidly expanding population. He frequently
urges others to "Change the world!" by embracing
a love of science.
Nye, 55, a science educator, engineer, comedian, inventor
and TV host, spent the day on campus March 23 for
a pair of appearances at Texas Hall tied to the Annual Celebration
of Excellence by Students (ACES) symposium. An
afternoon roundtable discussion was followed by a sold-out
evening lecture, during which Nye was greeted by an audience
packed with enthusiastic fans of his 1990s TV show,
Bill Nye the Science Guy.
After an introduction from UT Arlington President
James Spaniolo, Nye — wearing his trademark bow tie —
took the stage to a boisterous ovation. He encouraged students
to be passionate about science and to shatter stereotypes
of math as dull and difficult by understanding the "PB
and J" (passion, beauty and joy) of math.
Nye encouraged the students in the audience — of
whom there were many — to embrace their passion and
challenged them to change the world for the better. He
used his skills as a comedian to emphasize his points and
had the crowd laughing frequently.
"We need to make society more scientifically literate
so we can solve all these problems," he said. "We need
people who are passionate about science, passionate about
learning. That's what science is all about, the joy of discovery."
Nye earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University — Carl Sagan was one of his professors — and he worked for several years at Boeing
after college. He also had a knack for comedy and began working nights as a standup comic. He got his start in TV on Almost Live, a Seattle sketch comedy
show where his "Science Guy" persona originated. That led to his Emmy Award-winning show, Bill Nye the Science Guy, which ran from 1993-97.
Since then he has hosted other TV programs and continues to advocate for science education while also working as a consulting engineer on various projects.
His latest media projects are the show Stuff Happens on the Planet Green channel, which focuses on the environment, and the upcoming Solving for X, which
shows the importance of algebra for school-age children.
He is also executive director and past vice president of the Planetary Society, a group which aims to inspire people to explore other worlds and seeks to
create ways for the public to have roles in space exploration.
Nye's UT Arlington talk featured anecdotes from his own life, explaining how he acquired his interest in science and in how things work. His parents, Edwin
"Ned" and Jacqueline Nye, both had strong interests in science. Nye's father was an avid rock collector and became fascinated by sundials after fashioning one
to tell time while being held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese during World War II. His mother was enlisted as a code breaker during the war.
Nye has taken his father's love of sundials to a whole new level, helping in the construction of sundials on two Mars rovers.
Nye talked at length on the evidence for global warming, noting that the past 10 years are the warmest since detailed recordkeeping began 130 years ago.
Another major concern, he noted, is the ballooning world population. When he was nine years old, Nye said, the Earth's population was around three billion
people. Today, it's nearing seven billion.
"In your lifetimes, the population is going to grow to 12 billion, and possibly as high as 15 billion," Nye told the audience. "We're going to have to figure
out how to do more with less."
Finding ways to make alternative energy more efficient would be a major step in reducing global warming and making the planet more sustainable, Nye
said. He noted that while he has solar panels on his own house, and his monthly electric bill is around $10, the efficiency of the technology is presently very
low.
"Right now, solar panels are about 15 percent efficient," he said. "What if we could make them 35 percent efficient? Or 50 percent? Or 60 or 80 percent?
That's your challenge. If you can figure that out, you can be Bill Gates-rich. Doing more with less is where it's at."
The afternoon roundtable was a discussion featuring Nye and College of Science faculty members Minerva Cordero, Greg Hale, Ramon Lopez and Kevin
Schug and moderated by Dean of Science Pamela Jansma. The topics focused on ways to improve science education and how to keep students engaged.
Asked how educators can get students more excited about math, Nye pleaded for more enthusiasm by teachers. He still recalls many of his junior high and
high school math teachers, saying they each made major impacts on him.
"We need to get better at teaching math," he said. "Math is in everything we do. You can predict the future with math! It's so exciting; there's a beauty
to it. There's a real need for us to do a better job teaching it."
Nye said scientists need to do a better job of promoting their research and discoveries with the media. And as the population becomes more diverse, Nye
said it's even more important to reach out to young kids, because "you can reach them in any language and they can learn anything," he said.
At both events, Nye answered questions from audience members, many of whom were young devotees of his Science Guy TV show. He returned to his
central point again and again.
"I'm hoping to change the world, and I'd appreciate your help as scientifically literate people," he said. "I want all of you to chase your passions and
change the world, too!"